Running an online store may have advantages over handling a physical one, but it has challenges too. The virtual setup involves aspects such as preparing the items for listing (taking photos and measurements, crafting descriptions, deciding on a price) and shipping. All of these can easily overwhelm a seller, especially those new to the business or those who maintain two or more shops on different platforms.

Success requires focus, discipline, and attention to detail. Being on top of things not only helps make a sale but also prevents problems like delayed orders, order mix-ups, and similar issues that affect customer experience and seller performance.

It all starts with identifying your goals as a seller on Depop. The obvious end goal is to make money, but you need to determine realistic sales targets based on several factors. If you need clarity, answering the following questions may provide guidance:

• What will be my source of inventory (my own closet/social circle’s closets/thrift stores and similar places)
• How often do I intend to source items?
• How often do I intend to list?
• How much time eachday can I allot to working on my Depop shop?
• How much are my target sales in a week/month/year?
• What is my pricing strategy?
• What are the expenses involved in running my online shop?

Allot a goal-setting session twice a year or once every quarter or month. This is a time to list down your goals (e.g., "List 300 new items every other weekend" or "Sell 20 items by month-end") and to track your progress. Revisiting your goals can also help you identify and address the challenges hindering you from achieving them.

For more complex goals such as becoming a Depop Top-seller, it would help to list specific action steps in line with the criteria to achieve that goal. Include a realistic target date of achievement for a bit of healthy pressure.

Now that you've set your goals, it's important to establish a system that supports the fruition of your goals. The tips below promote productivity and help you organize your activities as a seller.

• Create a schedule and stick with it. Have a monthly, weekly, and a daily view of your activities. On a monthly level, mark out the dates you intend to go sourcing or uploading your listings. On a weekly level, you can work on your promotional activities like social media posting and using Depop Shop Share. On a daily level, allot specific time for checking orders and messages or packing and preparing orders.
• Lump similar activities together. Allotting one specific thing or related activities to do for a certain amount of time allows you to focus better because you use the same skills and thought processes needed to perform those tasks. For example, blocking off a whole afternoon just for taking photos of your new listings – instead of switching from taking photos and crafting descriptions – allows you to achieve uniform lighting and quality. Another thing is to allocate an hour to uploading and fixing photos in one go instead of editing them as you work on each listing.
• Be one step ahead all the time. Inconveniences always seem to happen when you're in a hurry, don't they? Like that moment you were rushing to ship out an order and realized you were running out of packaging supplies. Regularly check your inventory and stock up on boxes, bubble wraps, packaging tapes, and even those packets of candies you throw in as freebies.

Another common source of stress is the hassle of locating items. This can happen if you have a huge inventory or is simply not a fan of organizing. While you're not required to make your workspace Pinterest-worthy, you must establish order and neatness. Label boxes, drawers, and bins where you keep your inventory and supplies. This way, when you get sick or need someone to take over for a while, it would be easier for you to delegate with minimal disruption to your business.

Anticipating possible scenarios and preparing for them saves you time and contributes to your confidence and peace of mind as a seller.

To achieve your Depop goals, you must be smart in managing your resources. The tips we discussed are some ways to help you save time and energy. However, there's still so much to do, especially if you're poised to scale up your reselling business. It's time to explore tools to help you level up.

Take the next level with a world-class bot experience

Depop sellers know just how important it is to refresh their listings regularly to help keep them on top of the search pages. While this feature is free, it is time-consuming. Hence, you're much better off delegating it to a smart bot such as OneShop that offers an Auto Refreshing feature, which can automatically refresh your Depop listings even while you're offline.

If you want to re-order your listings on the Depop closet as part of your strategy, the same bot allows you to rearrange them however you like, and they'll show up that way on the site while refreshing.

Thousands of online resellers trust OneShop as it is an all-in-one tool that can help you increase your sales and grow your business. Putting money down right away to see if it's a match is not a problem as no upfront payment is required until after the trial. Sign-up now and take advantage of its amazing features with its 7-day free trial!